


Another Day In Paradise

by Yoite



Category: Monster (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Age Difference, Angst, Creepy Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Hate to Love, M/M, Ok A Tiny Bit of Porn, PWP without Porn, Randomness, Returning To My First Ever Ship, Slice of Life, Violent Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 12:39:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16954197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yoite/pseuds/Yoite
Summary: Almost 10 years later, I'm coming back to my first ever ship, which remains one of my favourite ships ever. This is set some time after my main story Worse Than Death. Johan and Tenma have met again and an established relationship is presumed. Please read the main story first, as this Ficlet won't make much sense on its own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1244368/chapters/2556925Even so, it's very random. Yeah, I don't know either. Just because.





	Another Day In Paradise

_I know you can’t forgive me_  
_But forgive me anyhow_

_~ Leonard Cohen ~_

 

Tenma rubbed his chin. Hard as he might try, he couldn’t seem to work it out. He tried surprisingly hard, actually, much more so than the task deserved, because if he didn’t, well, he would have to focus his mind back onto why they were here, in one of Johan’s many semi-abandoned flats that he owned or rented across Germany. This one was particularly barren, with just the most basic wipe-clean metal table and two chairs resting melancholically in the centre of a worn beige rug. And then there was this disproportionately large bookshelf.

The doctor let his eyes slide across the remarkable array of literature once again. It was an entirely random collection, featuring anything from historical novels, biographies and children’s picture atlases to dictionaries, gardening tips and cookery books. There was nothing these books had in common, it seemed, apart from the fact that they all came from the local library. Why anyone would-

Tenma only jumped the tiniest bit when he felt Johan’s chin on his shoulder. He was getting better at this, slowly. He wasn’t even sure if he _wanted_ to get better at tolerating it all, the sneaking up from behind, the well-placed casual touches to remind him where he belonged now, the way that Johan’s voice was the softest knife to ever cut through silence.

“I’m almost done with ‘M’.”

Of course! Tenma chuckled involuntarily. The noise got stuck in his throat when Johan’s hands came to rest ever so lightly on his waist. Maybe he wasn’t getting better at this after all.

“You’re choosing your books by the author’s surname?”

“You are perceptive, doctor.”

The constant mockery, the strangely aloof ways in which Johan still chose to address him sometimes – Tenma had learned to ignore most of that, most of the time. Johan’s nose slowly rubbing against the side of his neck, less so.

“Have you actually read all of these?”

He did not really need an answer. The monster’s mind was a black hole that needed incessant feeding. On a good day, books might just about do the trick, and on a bad day.. The doctor closed his eyes, a sudden wave of nausea rolling over him. Johan was softly kissing the back of his jaw. Arousal and disgust were simply two sides of the same coin in this grotesque new existence that he had chosen for himself.

“Doesn’t matter.” Tenma finally managed to turn around and face the monster, brusquely removing those intrusive hands from his middle. “That’s not what we’re here for.”

He was fully prepared for another fight, another excruciating, almost surgical mutual dissection, but Johan gave him a half-smile and a three-quarter-nod instead, ready to obey. Today was a good day. On a day like this, Tenma was all that the boy needed, his father, his lover and his shrink. It was mind-bogglingly perverted, like pretty much all aspects of their relationship.

The doctor watched from a safe distance as Johan proceeded to remove books from the top shelf, shoulder blades moving underneath the thin cotton of his shirt. Soon the contents of a safe that hid behind the over-sized piece of furniture were spread across the table. Five chequebooks, all in different names. Tenma recognised some of the surnames, those unfortunate families that gave the monster a temporary home at one time or another. It was only fair. If Tenma were to give up his soul, the least the monster could do in return was to give up his stolen funds. There were no heirs, naturally. No better way to make good from evil.

“Well?” The boy cocked his beautiful blond head ever so slightly, a pen pressed to his bottom lip. Oh, how he loved to wind Tenma up.

“Unicef.”

“Not very original, my dear doctor. I am disappointed.”

“Write it.”

“Those poor little children. If all survived, imagine the wars that could be fought..”

Their eyes locked for a while, the monster's sharp white grin spreading dangerously across his cheeks. The deep sea snakes hidden in that enticing blue never tired in their mission to break their opposite. Or, even better, to make him break himself. But one thing Tenma learned from living with the monster was that his breaking point was not actually a _point_. It was more like a vast, deserted plain. Even in the desert, life never ceased. He could walk that plain for hours now, if he had to.

"Write it. Every penny. We talked about this, Johan."

Thankfully, it didn't take hours on a day like today.

"Fine."

The boy shrugged and got to work. Tenma had promised himself not to look, but he just couldn't help it. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the sum Johan noted down as casually as if he were simply paying for a newspaper or leaving a tip at a not-too-posh eatery. Tenma knew the monster had money; engineering the apocalypse doesn't come cheaply after all. But he never realised just _how much_. Even more disturbing was the nonchalant swing of Johan's slim wrist as he faked the signature. Though _faked_ was hardly the right word. For someone without a name, the notion of forgery becomes redundant.

Five identities, five starkly different handwriting styles and signatures, five eye-watering sums of blood money allocated to charities of Tenma's choice. By the time Johan had neatly torn the cheques from their respective booklets the doctor could feel cold sweat on his temples, despite the fireplace lit to dispose of the remaining evidence heating up the room. 

The boy was watching him now, calmly, almost pensively. A stranger would have missed the dark glimmer in his narrowed gaze, one perfectly arched brow raised ever so slightly in a silent challenge. But Tenma knew him better than anyone ever would. The monster was waiting there, in his comfort zone, his lair of despair, waiting for the doctor to finally give up, to turn around and walk away, abandoning him. The best way to play this little game was to do the exact opposite, against all odds.

"I love you", Tenma said simply.

It was his ultimate weapon. Whoever warned that it lost meaning when applied too liberally was a damn fool. Those words only seemed to become more powerful the more he said them. They were the reins he held Johan by, accepting the handcuffs attached to their other ends. Not to mention that the last time he failed to say those words he got shot five times, so he was making bloody well sure it didn't happen again.

No, he could no longer hope for a quick death, not with Johan walking up to him so slowly and deliberately to slide the cheques into his shirt pocket. The boy let his hand linger on the older man's chest, just above his heart that instantly picked up pace.

 _Not now_ , Tenma pleaded with himself. _Not right now_. Could he never keep even a shred of dignity?

Johan's free hand curled behind his neck, bringing their faces closer together. Why did he have to be such goddamn perfection?

"I could have bought you a whole hospital with that money", the monster whispered against his lips, "I could have bought you _ten_ hospitals."

Tenma doubted any hospital could have saved him now as he pulled the boy into his arms, wrapping himself around his tongue before pushing him against the bookshelf, so hard it rained ink. He fucked Johan until the boy finally screamed his name, his _actual_ name.

".. I never knew .. ", the monster panted, as soon as he was able to speak once more, ".. that money would turn you on like this.. doctor.."

".. shut up..", Tenma suggested, sliding his fingers into Johan's mouth and rolling his hips. The boy needed reminding that he was still inside. He hid his face in Johan's damp, silky hair, breathing in the sweet smell of his sweat.

It was just another day in paradise.


End file.
